reporter: coke reacting to a full-fledged assault on sugary sodas that include school bans, proposed taxes and an often mocked new york city effort to eliminate large sizes. >> oh, no, i'm on the run from johnny law. >> reporter: but many feel it's no joke. after all, the average american gets 45 gallons of sugary soft drinks a year. that's 1 1/2 barrels of soda pop. in fact, sugary sodas are the single largest source of calories in the american diet. even this small can have some six sugar cubes in it. the regular size, 14 sugar cubes. and this super big gulp, some 32 sugar cubes. critics argue they're not just ordinary calories either. they're empty of nutrition and don't tell the body it's full. >> with beverages, we'll drink the calories and consume more food on top of those calories. >> reporter: coke's new commercial promotes exercise programs to work off what you drink. but for the world's largest soda maker today, it's no coke and a smile. jim avila, abc news, washington. >> yes, indeed. >>> coming up next, is she or isn't she? the big question that anne hathaway is facing. >>> and